An unfortunate Boston Celtics fan has been going viral since Thursday night’s NBA Finals matchup against the Dallas Mavericks.
The Celtics put in a dominant performance, ruining Kyrie Irving’s return to TD Garden. But a shot of a fan sitting next to Taylor Rooks seems to be one of the most talked-about moments from Game 1 as it shows him speaking to a disinterested Taylor fidgeting with her hair.
Most assume the photo was from last night’s game, but it’s actually from last March and was originally taken by former Brooklyn Nets forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson when the Celtics played in BK.
That hasn’t stopped it from going viral again, however. Rooks shared it herself after it resurfacedon Thursday.
Thankfully, we have the fan’s account of what happened as BroBible caught up with him.
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The fan asked that the publication not reveal his identity apart from him being a 25-year-old teacher from New England.
He explained how he got that good seat right next to Taylor Rooks but confessed he had no idea who she was.
“My girlfriend got the tickets for me for Christmas. We had four tickets at nosebleed level, but me and her dad moved down after scouting out some seats that no one was sitting in around the middle of the second quarter,” he recalled.
“So we had really good seats, but I get up and go to the bathroom and I come back and my seat’s taken. I had made friends with the guy in front of me and he was like, “I respect your hustle. If you get kicked out, the seat next to me is open. The lady on the aisle is a TV reporter and I think she’s alone so you’re good to come sit right here with us.”
Taylor Rooks Was Apparently A Good Sport
The New England native revealed having asked Rooks some standard questions, which she obliged in brief responses.
“So I go and sit next to Taylor and I have no idea who she is. I’m a social person, so I start talking,” he explained. “I can make friends at a sporting event pretty easily. I asked her “Are you a TV reporter?” and she was like “Yeah.” I said, “Do you go to a lot of games?” and she said, “Yeah, this is my first Celtics game in a while.”
The fan insists he was not trying to flirt with Taylor, especially with his girlfriend several rows back.
He also admitted to being the butt of jokes among his friends and students all over again.
“I still had no idea who she was until the next day when I found out it started blowing up a little after Rondae Hollis-Jefferson tweeted it out,” he continued. “Now, a year later, it came back and it was everything I experienced then times ten.”
